Tag Archives: Love

A few practical steps to create a safer, happier, more productive community (both by community building and workforce building):

Ban sale of assault rifles to civilians – however encourage and reward responsible gun ownership by treating gun ownership, registration, training, etc. the same way we treat the responsibility and privilege of car ownership. Also suggest/encourage concerned citizens to join the NRA so they can influence from the inside empathic and sensible accountability and responsibility of gun ownership and handling.

2. Teach/include practical empathy classes in all classroom curriculum – not only would this be FUN, it would be helpful for student mental health by allowing them to see the humanity in those smaller and weaker…thus help them appreciate and be empathic to their own vulnerability and value:

Create a job dating game where job seekers of all ages, sexes, and abilities could input their transferable skills and passions as well as their past job experience and education. Business could input the transferable skills and passions needed for their particular job openings – including the ‘worst’ things about their jobs and the ‘benefits’ of the jobs. Because one person’s worst job is the next person’s best job – you could match what the employer and employee both want from the relationship. Since this game would be blind to age, sex, race, etc. it would naturally help diversify a workforce. This dating game would focus on passion, for example: the person who loved playing in the mud as a kid would get matched up to outdoor jobs with real mud, science jobs working with goey stuff, baking jobs working with dough, manufacturing jobs working with chemicals and more…so the future employee gets to choose from a wide variety of interesting and diverse jobs/career paths, while the employer gets someone passionate about their industry (an industry the prospective employee may have never thought to apply to). (Idea by Barb Hughes)

Create a resource matching game. Non-profit organizations, government organizations, businesses, housing, universities, police, realtors, churches, individuals, etc. input what resources they have to offer. Individuals looking for a new house, apartment to rent, stores that deliver organic food, Tool libraries that loan out items for temporary use, non-profits or senior centers who can loan a wheelchair or crutches short term, local government agencies, schools that have a program in the field they want to study (and scholarships/bank financing), – the resources to match are endless. The difference between a resource matching game and just using google, is the individual playing the game can enter in their yearly income or explain they temporarily need resources for free. This allows non-profits and helping organizations to step in to assist people. It also allows individuals to offer to help – such as a hair stylist may input into the game that he/she is willing to give free haircuts to someone who is below the poverty line, or looking for a new job, or just got out of prison, or just graduated from college. It allows people and organizations to play a game to ‘match up’ what they have to offer, both for profit and for community building. And it allows the person playing the game to play both sides of the game – as a resource provider and a resource receiver. (Idea by Barb Hughes) Other ideas at https://betterideasnow.com/

A bank has found a unique way to help their customers create more wealth financially and socially, thus creating more money for customers to invest in houses, finance new business, and more. An ingenious ‘love story’ idea mix where both business and customer are enriched.

With Easter and stories of new life and resurrection on our minds, I wanted to explore a side of Easter that I’ve never heard discussed before.

I saw a comment on facebook from a friend of mine that said:

“Sick. Depressed. More than I can handle”.

Without having context to that comment, it got me to thinking. How many of us have felt that way at one time or another? It sucks. Sometimes life gets sucked out and so it just sucks. Lack of health sucks. Trying to keep a smile on sucks. Having a person/pet you love die sucks. Getting out of bed sucks. Watching people just not ‘get it’ sucks. Not being able to do anything about it sucks. Not having energy sucks. About the only things that don’t suck at times might include:

1. the love and kindness of a spouse who cares/close family who will listen and not judge

2. soft organic flannel sheets

3. Hyberbole and a half dark humor

I wonder if sometimes ‘hitting bottom’ might possibly be compared to a place like Christ in the tomb: cold, dark, quiet, a suspended life. And that’s OK. It’s OK to be buried for awhile. In fact, maybe that’s part of the Easter Story? Maybe instead of rushing to the resurrection, maybe it’s OK to be in the tomb? Maybe it’s not a ‘fault’ to be in the tomb? Maybe it’s just part of a – can I say it – healthy life to be in the tomb? Even if we don’t know how long it will last? Especially if we don’t know how long it will last?

Yes, resurrection does come, and we celebrate that, but maybe there is also a place to respect the times in our lives that represent tombs? Why do we fear the cold, dark, quiet, suspended times? Is it because in American culture those are seen as ‘weak’, or ‘useless’, or ‘bad’, or ‘unproductive’…and we feel shamed for them? What would happen if those times of depression/grief, or “tomb-time”, had a different, purposeful meaning in our culture? Do other cultures have a place of respect for those times in a person’s life?

How can we incorporate a safe, honorable, and healthy place for those -including ourselves – who are experiencing tomb-time? If we had a different perspective, maybe we wouldn’t feel the cultural need to deny, try to cheer-lead it away, or shame it? Maybe tomb-time is an important part of a healthy life?

Humans of New York is a facebook site started as a photography project by Brandon in 2010, shortly after being fired from his finance job. Brandon started HONY to create a catalogue of New York City’s inhabitants, setting out to photograph 10,000 New Yorkers and plot their photos on a map. Somewhere along the way, he began to interview his subjects in addition to photographing them, and alongside their portraits, would include quotes and short stories from their lives.

The facebook site now has over 11 million followers, and has recently turned a corner from an art site to creating social impact in a major way, with the photo and story of a boy named Vidal, from the HONY facebook page:

“Who’s influenced you the most in your life?”
“My principal, Ms. Lopez.”
“How has she influenced you?”
“When we get in trouble, she doesn’t suspend us. She calls us to her office and explains to us how society was built down around us. And she tells us that each time somebody fails out of school, a new jail cell gets built. And one time she made every student stand up, one at a time, and she told each one of us that we matter.”

Vidal’s simple comment sent photographer Brandon to Mott Hall Bridges Academy to meet Ms. Lopez. Which then led to learning more about the school, and what they needed from Ms. Lopez and her team. Which led to an indiegogo campaign to send the 6th grade class to visit Harvard. Which led to thousands of people in the comments sections of these posts and follow up posts offering to help not only the kids in this school, but the kids in neighboring schools and kids in schools around the world.

And the story isn’t done yet. Brandon keeps taking photos of kids, teachers, administrators – hearing their stories, giving them names and voices and a platform for positive change. And people all over the world are responding with strength and encouragement and resources and networking. See a video here.

One photographer is changing the world. One face, one story at a time.

The Netherlands has a unique eldercare community built specifically for dementia patients, called Dementia Village. Dementia Village is a safe 4 acre indoor/outdoor community where residents can enjoy the seasons, visit a restaurant, drink a cup of tea, get their hair done, go shopping, and are free to go wherever they want (within the save indoor/outdoor village with a ratio of 2 staff per resident).

This 4 acre complex is home to 23 housing units with 7 different ‘lifestyle themes’, the goal being to create a space where each resident can enjoy life and feel welcome. On a physical level people here require fewer medications, eat better, live longer. On a mental level they also seem to experience more joy.